Cash-for-vote scam: SC declines to cancel TDP legislator’s bail

New Delhi/Hyderabad, July 3 (IANS) In a setback to Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in cash-for-vote scam, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed its petition for cancellation of bail of TDP legislator A. Revanth Reddy and two other accused.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu dismissed the petition, challenging the bail granted by Hyderabad High Court.

The apex court said the bail can’t be cancelled as the accused have already spent a month in jail and the ACB also took them in its custody for four days and recorded their statements. It wondered what ACB will do by keeping him (the legislator) in further custody.

Appearing on behalf of ACB, senior counsel Kapil Sibal submitted that investigations were still on in the case and the audio and video tapes were being examined by Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

He also told the court that some witnesses were yet to be examined and ACB had still not traced the source of bribe money.

Sibal also drew the court’s attention to a threatening speech made by Revanth Reddy against Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao after his release from jail in Hyderabad on Wednesday. He pointed out that police have booked cases against him in this connection.

The bench, however, observed that there are no grounds to cancel the bail. Revanth Reddy, deputy leader of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Telangana legislative assembly, was arrested by the ACB on May 31 when he was trying to give Rs.50 lakh as bribe to nominated legislator Elvis Stephenson to induce him to vote for TDP-BJP candidate in Telangana legislative council elections.

Revanth’s aides Sebastian Harry and Uday Simha were also arrested in the trap laid by ACB on Stephenson’s complaint.